Team India will miss vice-captain Shubman Gill in the fifth and final T20I of the home series against South Africa. The opener is set to sit out the match due to a toe injury. As per a Times of India report, Gill was struck on the toe during a batting practice session on the eve of the fourth T20I in Lucknow. The report stated that the 26-year-old was in considerable pain and found it difficult to walk, which led to him being ruled out of the match.
It further added that Gill will also miss the series finale. His recent struggles in the T20 format have drawn attention, especially as this series marked his comeback from a neck injury suffered during India’s Test series opener against South Africa in Kolkata. He was also sidelined from the following ODI series due to the same injury, with KL Rahul appointed as the stand-in captain in the regular skipper’s absence.
Gill has managed only 32 runs from three innings, averaging 10.66 with a strike rate of 103.22. India currently hold a 2-1 lead in the series. The fourth T20I was called off because of heavy fog in Lucknow. The series decider is set to be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday, December 19.
“A Bit Confusing” — Former India Batter Questions Shubman Gill’s T20 Approach
Former India cricketer Robin Uthappa praised Shubman Gill as a rare, generational talent but pointed out that his approach in T20 cricket has been somewhat unclear in recent times. He suggested that Gill could take a leaf out of the batting styles adopted by Virat Kohli for India and Aiden Markram for South Africa in the shortest format. Uthappa made these remarks while speaking on JioHotstar, as quoted by Revsportz.
“I think with a player like Abhishek Sharma, you need to give him the freedom to play the way he wants. Now, does someone like Shubman Gill at the other end help him do that, or does someone like Sanju Samson, with whom he has had a strong opening partnership, allow that freedom? I’m not taking anything away from Shubman Gill — he’s a phenomenal, once-in-a-generation, three-format player. However, the way he has been approaching T20 cricket lately has been a bit confusing and hasn’t really served him well.
“There is a method to how he scores runs. He can play a role similar to what Aiden Markram or Virat Kohli did for India in the 2024 T20 World Cup — batting at a strike rate of around 140–150, playing proper cricket, a template that has worked for him in the IPL and T20Is.”
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